SCANNING Sarasota PLANNING

  1. Sarasota Wastewater Wake-Up Call During the severe 2018-2019 red tide bloom that plagued Southwest Florida, it was revealed that Sarasota County Utilities periodically had been  releasing millions of gallons of reclaimed wastewater daily for several weeks and months  at a time from their Bee Ridge Wastewater Reclamation Facility to Phillippi Creek. This neglect had gone on for years. While the wastewater was treated to remove pathogens, break down organic matter, and reduce nutrients, the concentration of nitrogen that  helps  fuel red tide was elevated well above that for direct discharge to surface waters such as Phillippi Creek  and the bay . As residents and businesses suffered from the severe and prolong ed red tide bloom, this revelation made Sarasota County Government see m tone deaf to the public it served. And stunningly, the County Commission at the time were surprised to learn that these reclaimed wastewater discharges had been occurrin...

1. Sarasota County: Wastewater Wake-Up Call During the severe 2018-2019 Red Tide bloom that plagued Southwest Florida, it was revealed that Sarasota County Utilities was -- and for years periodically had been -- releasing millions of gallons of reclaimed wastewater each day for several weeks and months at a time from their Bee Ridge Wastewater Reclamation Facility to Phillippi Creek. While the wastewater was treated to remove pathogens, break down organic matter, and reduce nutrients, the concentration of nitrogen that helps fuel red tide was elevated well above that for direct discharge to surface waters such as Phillippi Creek and the bay . As residents and businesses suffered from the severe and prolonged red tide bloom, this revelation made Sarasota County Government seem tone deaf to the public it served. And stunningly, the County Commission at the time were surprised to learn that these reclaimed wastewater discharges had been occurring. To say the least, the longstanding neg...

A SCAN ZOOM meeting about the floods of 2024, the maintenance or lack thereof of 2025, and the concerns for the coming storm season. Links to video and audio recording: Video link                                       Audio only link Passcode:  Jy2.LWpw ========== Below is the email from Commissioner Neunder to county administrator Jonathan Lewis from April 3, 2025. The clear message: In advance of this year's hurricane season (17 named storms expected) the county needs to look at where things stand with damage assessments, operations, maintenance and more.  See also hydrologist Steve Suau's 10 Recommendations to the county which he submitted following his independent assessment of the causes of the flooding. Jonathan, With our storm season rapidly approaching, recent public articles/local TV stations pieces and my site visits throughout our community, I believe (and what I’m hearin...

The Jan. 21, 2025 workshop with public input on the stormwater and flooding issues impacting Sarasota County from Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton: Link to the video. Debby carried an exceptional amount of rain - 84 homes in Laurel Meadows were flooded along with homes on Phillippi Creek in the summer of 2024. Water engineer Steve Suau presented his recommendations: His talk begins about the 50-minute mark, after Public Works Director Spencer Anderson outlined the history and development of the county's stormwater protection systems. Suau's talk offered slide detailing 10 specific recommendations - here's one: You'll find all his recommendations both in this video and a text version can be found here.

A presentation from water engineer Steve Suau to an overflow crowd at Selby Library last evening (Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024) was by all counts excellent. Many in the audience who lived inland had suffered damage or disruption from the heavy rains during Tropical Storm Debby. Many more had experienced the strong coastal storm surge of Hurricane Helene, and many more had experienced the astonishing winds and rain from Hurricane Milton, all within a three-month period - August to October. Suau, who founded Sarasota County's stormwater division 25 years ago before going into private practice offered clear and incontrovertible evidence that at least some of the flooding occurred thanks to a breach in a dike near Cow Pen Slough - a breach that was at least 6 years old, as evidenced by the way the opening was cluttered with Brazilian Pepper and more. There was much more to Steve's deep dive into the watersheds, the drainage mechanisms, and the sophisticated tools that are available to t...